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General Information

Blueberries are becoming increasingly popular due to their
delicious and healthy fruit. Among other things, they are
high in antioxidants, have anti-aging activity, promote
healthy urinary tracts, improve vision and help fight heart
disease. With a little effort, these "wonder berries" can be
produced by home gardeners throughout Georgia. This
brief publication gives a few helpful hints to get started.

When it comes to selecting blueberries for the home
garden, rabbiteye types are the best choice. This species is
actually native to Georgia, and there are varieties than can
be produced across the state from the coastal flatwoods to
the mountain regions. Southern highbush blueberries are
grown commercially in South Georgia, but this species can
require more care than rabbiteye types and are very prone
to attack by deer and birds because they ripen so early in
the season. Therefore, these can be less desirable choices
for the home gardener, although there are newer varieties to
try if one is interested. On sites in the mountains of North
Georgia, northern highbush blueberries can be grown. This
species often blooms later than rabbiteyes, so they may be
useful for more freeze-prone sites in the mountains. However,
northern highbush blueberries generally do not perform
well in the piedmont and southern areas of Georgia due to
insufficient winter chilling and hot summer temperatures.
Make sure and purchase the type of blueberry most suitable
to the intended growing area.

One of the advantages of home garden blueberry plants is
they seldom require spraying for insects or diseases in most
areas of the state. Under good management, blueberry
bushes will produce some fruit the second or third year
after transplanting. By the sixth year they can yield as much
as 2 gallons per plant. The yield will continue to increase
for several years as the plants get larger if given good care.
Plants can last 10 to 15 years or longer if managed well.

Varieties

Rabbiteye

One of the most important things to remember about starting
rabbiteye blueberries is to plant more than one variety
for cross-pollination to promote adequate fruit set. Also,
choosing varieties from the different ripening categories
provides a broad harvest season. Rabbiteye varieties have
been bred for years, and many of the varieties listed are
somewhat antiquated. Newer varieties are listed in bold,
and are highly recommended to provide homeowners some
of the latest improvements offered in blueberry varieties.

Early Season

Mid-season

Late Season

AustinAlapaha
Climax
PremierVernon
Titan

Brightwell
Powderblue
Tifblue

Baldwin
CenturionOchlockonee

Climax, Premier, and Vernon may flower too early for
growing in the mountain regions, resulting in frequent
spring frost/freeze damage. Titan is a very new variety (released
in 2011) and may take a little time to become widely
available. However, it is the largest fruited rabbiteye variety
that has been developed to date. Vernon also has large
berries. Alapaha and Ochlockonee have medium sized
berries with good eating quality and less pronounced seeds
than varieties such as Austin and Brightwell. Most of these
varieties have been bred for adaptation to Georgia and are
highly recommended. If your garden center does not carry
a desired variety, encourage them to update their blueberry
variety selection.

Southern Highbush

Even though southern highbush can be challenging to grow,
they do offer some very early ripening fruit. Mulching with
pine bark or pine straw can increase the vigor of southern
highbush. Take care not to over water this species, especially
in poorly drained soils. The varieties listed below are
suggested for areas of South Georgia up through the Piedmont
region. These are discouraged for use in the colder
mountain regions of the state. Many southern highbush are
self fertile, however, the planting of multiple varieties is still
recommended for improved fruit set. Early season southern
highbush will ripen 2 to 3 weeks before early rabbiteyes,
and mid-season varieties will ripen 8 to 12 days before early
rabbiteyes. Again, newer varieties are listed in bold.

Early Season

Mid-season

Suziblue
Palmetto
O'Neal

Camellia
Jubilee
Magnolia

Palmetto is a medium sized berry that is noteworthy for
its outstanding flavor. Suziblue has very large fruit as does
Camellia. Jubilee and Magnolia are smaller fruited varieties
with good plant vigor. As mentioned earlier, bird and deer
feeding may be a problem with southern highbush, so using
appropriate protection methods is strongly suggested.

Northern Highbush

Northern highbush blueberries are as a rule self-fertile;
however, as with southern highbush, larger and earlier ripening
berries result if several cultivars are interplanted for
cross-pollination. They can be grown in the mountains of
North Georgia if soil conditions are met (pine bark mulching
recommended) and if birds and deer are controlled.
Early and mid-season northern highbush varieties ripen
ahead of the earliest rabbiteyes in the mountain region.

Early Season

Mid-season

Late Season

Collins
Duke
Earliblue
Patriot
Spartan

Berkeley
Bluecrop
Bluehaven
Blueray
Legacy

Coville
Elliot
Jersey

Ornamental Varieties

For the home gardener desiring something unique, edible
ornamental blueberries have been developed recently to
offer the opportunity to "surround yourself with flavorful
beauty." Two of the newest varieties are Blue Suede™ and
Summer Sunset™. Blue Suede™ is a southern highbush
having sky blue fruit, large flavorful berries, and striking
autumn leaf color development, giving multi-season home
landscape appeal. Summer Sunset™ is a rabbiteye hybrid
with notable red winter stem color, pink flowers, and
multi-colored berries that transition from green to yellow to
orange to red as they ripen to a midnight blue. This variety
offers a colorful, edible landscape for novel appeal.

Planting and Care

Obtain your plants in time for winter transplanting.

Select a site with sun for at least one-half the day.
Blueberries will grow in shady spots, but fruit production
will be poor.

Figure 1: Pruning at planting. Remove low, twiggy growth entirely and tip
remaining shoots to remove all the flower buds. About 1/2 to 1/3 of
the plant top should be removed in this process Mulch 4 inches deep
with pine needles or pine bark after planting.

Blueberries require a soil pH of 4.5 to 5.2 for best
growth. If your soil pH is in the range of 5.3 to 6.0,
sulfur can be applied six months before planting to
lower the pH. Refer to a sulfur application chart
for exact amounts for your specific pH. Sulfur can
also be applied after planting to the soil surface but
not mixed with the soil. Rates of up to 0.7 lbs per
100 square feet can be used yearly, if needed. If the
initial soil pH is above 6.0, growing blueberries will
be difficult unless massive amounts of peat moss or
milled pine bark are mixed with the soil. You can find
out what your soil pH is by taking a sample to your
county Extension office.

A standard spacing for rabbiteye blueberries is 5 to 6
feet between plants in a row and 11 to 12 feet between
rows. For highbush (southern or northern) a spacing
of 4 feet between plants in a row and 10 feet between
rows is suggested. If developing individual specimen
plants give plants a 25 to 40 ft2 area each.

Till the soil 8 to 12 inches deep in a band at least 3
to 4 feet wide. If the site is excessively wet, plant on a
raised bed 6 to 12 inches high and 3
0010
to 4 feet wide.
5FF4

Mix wetted peat moss or milled pine bark with the
soil in each planting hole (2 to 4 gallons depending
on size of the hole). Do not use any agriculture lime
or potting mixes that have lime added (most commercial
potting soils). Remember, blueberries require
an acid soil.

Pot-bound plants must have the root system loosened
considerably prior to transplanting. Plants that are
not pot-bound can be planted directly without breaking
up root system.

Transplant the same depth as the plants grew in the
nursery. Do not bury too deep. Firm the soil after
planting.

Do not apply any fertilizer at transplanting. During
the first year of establishment, and after leaves emerge
and new growth begins (late March to early April),
apply 2 ounces of azalea special fertilizer (4-8-8) or 1
ounce of 12-4-8 or 10-10-10 per plant. Fertilize at the
same rate again in May and July if sufficient rainfall
or irrigation has occurred. Never heap fertilizer at the
base of plants, instead spread the fertilizer evenly over
a circle 18 inches in diameter with the plant in the
center.

Figure 2: Cane renewal of rabbiteye blueberries 6 feet and taller. Remove
one to three of the oldest, tallest canes each winter or about 20
percent of the canopy. In addition, excessively tall canes can be
pruned back to 6 to 8 feet.

The first year, remove any flowers or fruit that escaped
the pruning process. This allows plants to expend
energy on establishment rather than producing fruit.

Keep weeds and grass away from plants. A weed-free
area of at least 3 ft by 3 ft is beneficial. Mulching with
pine bark or pine straw is very beneficial for helping
with weed control and improving plant vigor. A
mulch layer of 3 to 4 inches works very well.

In March and July of the second year apply 2 ounces
of 10-10-10 or 12-4-8 or 3 to 4 ounces of azalea
special fertilizer (4-8-8). Do not over-fertilize; fertilizer
damages young blueberries easily until they are
established. Spread the fertilizer evenly over a circle
24 inches in diameter with the plant in the center.

From the third season on, base the amount of fertilizer
applied on the size of the bushes. If your soil
tests very high in phosphorus, use 12-4-8. If your soil
tests low or medium in phosphorus, use 10-10-10.
Use "premium grade" fertilizer if possible; this type
contains secondary and micronutrients that may be
needed. Apply 1 ounce of 12-4-8 or 10-10-10 per
foot of bush height at the time of bud break in the
spring and after harvest in the summer. Continue to
increase the amount of fertilizer applied yearly until
the bushes are 6 to 8 feet tall. Bushes 6 feet tall or
taller should receive the maximum rate of 6 ounces of
fertilizer per bush. Spread the fertilizer evenly under
and around the bushes.

After establishment, rabbiteye blueberries require
little pruning until they reach about 4 to 6 feet in
height. At this point, a cane renewal pruning program
should be started. Remove one to three of the largest
canes each winter at 0 to 24 inches from ground level
or a total of about 20 percent of the canopy (Figure 2).
In areas where stem borers are a problem, make the
pruning cuts at 24 inches. Over a period of five years
the bush will be totally renewed. New, more productive
canes will sprout from the old canes and will
sprout below ground level. In addition, excessively tall
canes can be pruned back to 6 feet each winter.

Water the plants throughout the growing season
when rainfall is not adequate. Irrigation of young
plants is especially important. Adequate water is essential
for plant growth and important for fruit bud
formation that occurs in the fall.

Cultivated blueberries are an almost perfect fruit.
They are easy to pick, and the berries can be large. To
store them frozen, first freeze them on a cookie sheet
as a single layer of individual berries. After initial
freezing, pack the berries dry in containers and place
in the freezer. A small amount of frozen berries can
be removed from the container and washed afterward.

Additional Recommendations for Highbush Blueberries

Highbush blueberries generally perform more satisfactorily
on lighter (sandy to sandy loam) soils because of the need
for good internal drainage to avoid infection by root rot
diseases. Generally, success with highbush can be improved
by following these additional suggestions:

Irrigate with sprinklers or otherwise water regularly if
rainfall is insufficient.

Prune newly set bushes as previously indicated in Figure
1. Also, in the second season remove all or nearly all flower buds to help foster better plant establishment.
You can do this by tipping or pruning shoots in
second winter. This will encourage the bush to grow
faster by not bearing a crop in the second year.

Highbush blueberries often over produce, and annual
pruning is usually necessary to keep the bushes
healthy. On 3- and 4-year-old plants, remove low
spreading branches and excessively twiggy growth
with too many flower buds.

When the bushes are about 4 or 5 feet tall, begin a
cane-renewal pruning program (Figure 3). First
remove the oldest, weakest canes or diseased canes
entirely. Then, among the remaining canes, start with
the older ones and prune approximately two per year
back either to strong laterals or to within 1 foot of the
ground. New strong canes will usually develop below
the cut. Over a period of four or five years, a new rejuvenated
bush framework will be developed.

Status and Revision History
Published on May 01, 1999Unpublished/Removed on Feb 24, 2009Published on Apr 20, 2009Published with Minor Revisions on Mar 20, 2012Published with Full Review on Mar 28, 2017

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